Do bacteria make choices and are these choices free choices ( Read more... )

I've mentioned that in the US, the abortion rate among black women is > 4 times this rate for white women; the rate for Hispanics is also much higher. If one looks at the historical trends for, say, teenage girls, the ratio of abortion to birth rates for Blacks and Hispanics stayed virtually constant since 1990. Eg ( Read more... )

...The West epitomizes individualistic, do-your-own thing cultures, ones where the rights of the individual equal and often trump those of the group and where differences are valued. East Asian societies exalt the larger society: behavior is constrained by social roles, conformity is prized, outsiders shunned. "The individualist-collectivist split ( Read more... )

Malaria kills, because the single-cell parasite, P. falciparum, at some point in its complex life cycle invades human red cells, so it can be sucked in by a mosquito and find a new human host. For the parasite, this strategy is no fun, as it much prefers living inside the liver cells, but you need to be fruitful and multiply, that’s the game, so it ( Read more... )

Pathogenic bacteria often kill by producing toxins, some of which are the most lethal poisons known. But what is the goal of killing one's own host? Why do the bacteria produce these toxins? The textbooks, after going into the excrutiating details of the action of cytotoxins, typically end on a philosophical note:

...why certain bacteria produce ( Read more... )

...Cats purr at a frequency of 26 Hz. Purring frequency for individuals does not change with age. Purring can occur simultaneously with other vocalization. The primary mechanism for sound and vibration production is a centrally driven laryngeal modulation of respiratory flow. The diaphragm and other muscles appear to be unnecessary for purring ( Read more... )

The glory of young men is their strength: and the beauty of old men is the grey head. Proverbs 20-29 ( Read more... )

Why is nailbiting so common? Not piking one's nose or poking one's eye, but specifically biting one's nails? It is said that 30% of kids and 45% teenagers are nailbiting. It is unlikely that it stops there. When people are stressed it provides relief, and when they get bored it provides stimulation. Most of the ideas I found are meaningles ( Read more... )

Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination. Lev 18:22 ( Read more... )

I still can't make my mind about this mystery ( Read more... )